What is the primary goal of reconstruction? Reunification, punishment, civil rights, other? (Thesis)
Our primary goals for the reconstruction era are reunification, protection of civil rights, and attempting to change the deeply rooted mindset of bigotry that rules the south. Though parts of our plan follow the path that the real reconstruction era laid down, other issues are approached through a more enlightened and retrospective mindset in order to make the best out of this bad situation. Through education and a steady minimum wage, we'll rebuild the Southern economy; through various checks on office positions and a slow integration of the black vote we'll make the government safer for black people; and with military occupation and vvvvvvvvv(REDACTED) we'll try our best to defend civil rights and sway unfavorable mindsets.
What should be done for the freedmen?
All black students will be allowed to attend school with students. If we truly want to end racism, we can’t jump out of one form of segregation and straight into another. Although this will be a major change that the South will have difficulty swallowing, it will pay off in the end. The conflict that occurs as a result of this decision will be dealt with swiftly and morally. Kids, teachers, and/or parents who harm black students in the name of white supremacy will suffer consequences (e.g. expulsion, fines, jail time, and/or fair trial).
With the immediate integration of black people into the education system, there will be a higher probability that they can go into the workforce and hold a steady job. If teachers from the Freedmen’s Bureau seriously encourage black students to do so, this rapid influx in employment will benefit the U.S. Economy. The more people that contributing members of their community by buying from local shops and purchasing ‘luxury’ goods, the more the economy will benefit. There will be more taxpayer money for the government to spend and more support for local shops.
The federal government established a minimum wage in 1938, but the country would reap a lot of benefits if it was introduced during the Reconstruction period. Average weekly wages in the 1860’s ranged from $6-$11, so we set a minimum wage for white workers at $6 and a minimum wage for black workers at $4.50, we can appease Democratic southerners who would likely refuse to hire black workers and pay them the same amount as a white man, thus ensuring a stable income for freedmen. In an attempt to try to balance out the playing field, we can revisit the minimum wage twenty years from now when some of the chaos has cooled down.
What should be done to the ex-Confederates?
There will be no direct punishment on Confederates for having participated in the War or being Confederate, but any racist crimes will be dealt with as seen fit. We know that the KKK will run rampant during this time period, and Union troops can only be stationed in the South for so long. Here is our plan:
Seize half of incredibly wealthy, well-off plantation owner’s land and redistribute it to freedmen. This went poorly in real life, but a huge factor in this was that the government failed to redistribute the land as they promised. Smaller farmers will be able to keep their land, but they will obviously not be allowed to keep their slaves.
Every Sunday when the Confederates arrive at the church, they will be provided with Communion by the Union troops: wine and crackers. But, the wine and crackers will be laced with the government’s prototype drug, ,jhdhdsdhs (REDACTED), that will lower the inhibitions of churchgoers to make them more susceptible to our anti-racist propaganda. Members of the Freedmen’s Bureau will conduct “sermons” that are pumped full of anti-racist propaganda. These sermons will contain many Bible passages that touch on racism like Proverbs 22:2 and Galatians 3:28. They will go further into sensitivity training to essentially scrub the Confederates’ brains of racism and white supremacy. The training will last until the end of Reconstruction and eventually, the Confederates towards the end, the Confederates will have alternate views on their “superiority”, acknowledging equality for all. Funding for this project will come from jhdhdsdhs, (REDACTED).
Who should be able to vote and hold office in the new Southern state governments?
All who were eligible to vote before the war can still vote after the war. Freedmen's voting rights will be implemented in increments to try to appease Southerners who will want time to adjust. We will start by allowing 12.5% of freedmen to vote. The next year, the percentage will rise to 25%, the next year to 37.5% and so on. These percentages will be determined by the highest percentiles of an annual standardized test that analyzes the intellectual capacity of each individual.
We’re assuming that old white Confederates are too far gone and our plan to shift their mindset might not be 100% effective. So, men served who as a high ranking general in the war will be barred from office; if they once led insurgents, there is still a huge possibility that they still hold those anti-Union sentiments and will only carry this out through the office. We also would like to lower the age restrictions for government positions to 22 and cap off the age at 35, as well as have all candidates pledge to protect the civil rights of all American citizens, especially black peoples’. This is to try to prevent powerful government officials from being old, bigoted, Southern Democrats.
What requirements must be met before states regain full rights and representation?
We will allow the South to regain full rights and representation with no requirements in order to attempt to ease back into the Union in peace. We assume the Confederates will interpret living among black people as punishment in it of itself, and we know hate crimes will be committed. If we truly want Confederates to rejoin the Union, why should we make them jump through hoops and draw out the process?
How should the Southern economy be restored?
We explained this a bit earlier, but to restate, the economy will benefit as more freedmen are educated, enter the workforce, and become contributing members of society. See "What should be done for the freedmen?"
What role should Union troops play in policing, governing, or rebuilding the South?
The Union troops will stay in the Southern states for as long as Reconstruction lasts, trying to protect the voters' rights and prevent violence amongst all races. In the beginning of reconstruction, it will be inevitable that there will be hate crimes but over time, the confederates views will change. The Union troops will also be the ones distributing the drug rations to the churches.
Re-state the primary goal of reconstruction. (Thesis re-stated)
Re-state the primary goal of reconstruction. (Thesis restated)
Reunification, protection of civil rights, and attempting to change the deeply rooted mindset of bigotry that rules the south is our primary goals for the reconstruction. The issues after the civil war will be approached through a more enlightened and retrospective mindset in order to make the best out of this bad situation. Through education and a steady minimum wage, we'll rebuild the Southern economy; through various checks on office positions and a slow integration of the black vote we'll make the government safer for black people; and with military occupation and vvvvvvvvv (REDACTED) we'll try our best to defend civil rights and sway unfavorable mindsets.
Prepare a response to an "opposition" group. In your response, you will need to point out the flaws and weaknesses and/or the strengths of their plan. The day after we present, be sure to upload your response at the bottom of their page. You will also need to be ready to challenge their plan in class, as their group presents.
Maya Avelar, Jocelyn Brossia, Haley Higgins, Lauren Shields
With the immediate integration of black people into the education system, there will be a higher probability that they can go into the workforce and hold a steady job. If teachers from the Freedmen’s Bureau seriously encourage black students to do so, this rapid influx in employment will benefit the U.S. Economy. The more people that contributing members of their community by buying from local shops and purchasing ‘luxury’ goods, the more the economy will benefit. There will be more taxpayer money for the government to spend and more support for local shops.
The federal government established a minimum wage in 1938, but the country would reap a lot of benefits if it was introduced during the Reconstruction period. Average weekly wages in the 1860’s ranged from $6-$11, so we set a minimum wage for white workers at $6 and a minimum wage for black workers at $4.50, we can appease Democratic southerners who would likely refuse to hire black workers and pay them the same amount as a white man, thus ensuring a stable income for freedmen. In an attempt to try to balance out the playing field, we can revisit the minimum wage twenty years from now when some of the chaos has cooled down.
We’re assuming that old white Confederates are too far gone and our plan to shift their mindset might not be 100% effective. So, men served who as a high ranking general in the war will be barred from office; if they once led insurgents, there is still a huge possibility that they still hold those anti-Union sentiments and will only carry this out through the office. We also would like to lower the age restrictions for government positions to 22 and cap off the age at 35, as well as have all candidates pledge to protect the civil rights of all American citizens, especially black peoples’. This is to try to prevent powerful government officials from being old, bigoted, Southern Democrats.
Re-state the primary goal of reconstruction. (Thesis restated)
Reunification, protection of civil rights, and attempting to change the deeply rooted mindset of bigotry that rules the south is our primary goals for the reconstruction. The issues after the civil war will be approached through a more enlightened and retrospective mindset in order to make the best out of this bad situation. Through education and a steady minimum wage, we'll rebuild the Southern economy; through various checks on office positions and a slow integration of the black vote we'll make the government safer for black people; and with military occupation and vvvvvvvvv (REDACTED) we'll try our best to defend civil rights and sway unfavorable mindsets.